Animation
by Jangling Bacon
Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. There's only one problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, action and Deadpool cameos! Parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb." NOW COMPLETE! Sequel up!
1. Chapter 1: New Recruit

Disclaimer: I'm sending Gambit over to buy Marvel (Right. As if he's ever bought something…). Until then, I don't own.

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

Most of the story will be in Third Person POV, just so ya know. Actually, all of it _should_ be.

* * *

Chapter 1: New Recruit

* * *

"Acolytes. Assemble in the foyer. We have a new recruit." Gambit glanced at the normally inactive PA system. He had been playing with a baseball, charging it, throwing it in the air, catching it and uncharging it. He jabbed Pyro who was sucked into a game of Halo. Said mutant laughed manically as he torched a group of Jackals.

"Pyro," Gambit said. "Move your butt. Mags says we gotta go to the foyer." St. John Allerdyce yelped as he was distracted long enough to be shot in the head.

"Alright, alright! Geez, Gambit, ya got me killed!" Pyro said, rubbing his side where Gambit had poked him. Gambit had already left the room, though.

"Stupid Cajun," Pyro muttered, then yelped as Gambit's baseball exploded.

* * *

Ariel was not the average girl. While she might appear average, a closer look was needed. The most outstanding difference was most likely her eyes. They were a luminescent purple, which sparked with a playful light. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and a mischievous smirk hovered almost permanently on her pink lips.

Now standing at Magneto's side, Ariel looked around the room with interest. It was nothing fancy, a large, metal room with dull silver walls and sleek metal floors. Obviously, Magneto had built it with his powers. There was hardly any decoration and the whole room—the whole building—felt cold and lonely. Soon, a large man strode into the room. He was wearing a strange sort of suit with red armor, gold shoulder pads and black pants. His hair was jet black.

"Ariel," Magneto said. "May I introduce Colossus." Ariel smiled briefly at the huge Russian, who gave her a small wave. Suddenly, two men dashed into the room, one chasing the other. The one being chased had loud orange hair and one of those bright fire-proof suits. The other one was wearing a maroon and navy uniform underneath a trench coat. He was throwing what _looked_ like a playing cards, but, of course, no one does that.

Magneto sighed. He gestured towards the card thrower. "This is Gambit." He indicated the one with the fire-proof suit. "And Pyro."

"Bonjour, chere," Gambit bowed chivalrously to Ariel.

"'ello, love," Pyro winked at her. He leaned against a table, trying to look suave and cool, but accidently tipped over the table and clattered to the floor. Ariel stifled a giggle, but Gambit had no such qualms. He outright laughed. Magneto's eyes glowed through his helmet, but he addressed Ariel cordially enough.

"Sabretooth is not at the base, currently. You can meet him later." Ariel nodded.

"Boys, show Ariel her room. I have work to do." Magneto swept out of the room ominously, leaving Ariel and the three Acolytes. Colossus picked up her large duffle bags and Gambit grabbed her backpack. Pyro gestured at the hallway cheerfully.

"Shall we be going, love?"

* * *

Ariel was amazed at the architecture of the base. Each room was beautifully molded from shining metal. The entire place was larger than the White House. Nevertheless, the Acolytes maneuvered through the maze of hallways easily. After numerous twists and turns, they reached a corridor which Ariel assumed to be the Acolytes personal rooms.

"In here, love," Pyro motioned to the fifth door down. Colossus heaved her bag into the room as Gambit followed with her backpack. Pyro skipped out after bidding her a good day, followed by Colossus. Gambit leaned against the doorway.

"Need help unpacking, chere?" he asked. Ariel sighed inwardly. She would probably never outright be a jerk to him, but she knew his type. She'd grown up around them living in the streets. She smiled sweetly.

"No thanks," she said, hoping he'd catch the hint.

"Oh come on, chere. Don't play hard to get."

This guy was _full_ of it. Ariel waved her hand at the bed, purple sparks flying from her fingertips. The bed shifted and morphed into an almost humanoid form. It roared at Gambit who packed away in surprise. Ariel simply smirked and pointed to the door, using her powers to slam it in Gambit's face.

"Idiot," she muttered and allowed the bed to return to its previous position. Ariel decided to first rearrange the furniture. She snapped her fingers and a purple haze filled the room. The dresser waltzed into the corner. A wardrobe marched away from the doorway. The nightstand schooched from the foot of her bed to the head. The entire room buzzed with life. Finally satisfied, Ariel snapped her fingers again and purple haze lifted.

Unpacking was no problem. With a wave of her hand, all her clothes, books and other personal belongs flowed out of the bag into the assortment of drawers and shelves strategically placed around the room. As the last book was tucking itself into the bookshelf and the pillow was fluffing itself out on the bed, she heard a knock on the door. The door opened on its own at Ariel's mental command. Colossus was standing at the door. He stared in awe at the blanket folding itself in a neat pile at the foot of her bed. Ariel cleared her throat. Colossus's gaze jumped back to her.

"The other Acolytes were wondering if you wanted to come to the Rec Room and watch a movie or play a game," he said awkwardly. Ariel studied the Russian's face for any sign of deception. He seemed pretty honest.

"Sure," she said. Colossus turned to leave. Deciding that she'd better follow him or she'd get lost, she hurriedly stuffed the first thing she could grab—a lump of clay—into her pocket and darted after him.

* * *

"Ah, chere. So glad you could join us." Ariel smirked at the cocky attitude of Gambit.

"We were just gon' play cards, wanna join us?" Pyro asked excitedly. Ariel shook her head. She didn't play many games, living on her own. She never saw the point.

"Your loss," Gambit shrugged.

"More like _our_ loss," Colossus said. Gambit just smiled mischievously. Ariel sat on the couch, half watching them play and half buried in her thoughts.

"That's amazing," she heard Colossus marvel. Dully, she looked down, realizing the little figure she'd made out of her clay. She shrugged.

"It's nothing," she said modestly.

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves," Pyro suggested. "I'm St. John. My power is that I can control fire."

"The name's Remy. I can make things explode," Remy explained simply. Ariel glanced at Remy quizzically. He didn't seem like a "simple" sort of person.

"That's the children's version," he said smugly. Ariel snorted.

"My name is Piotr. I can turn myself into organic steel."

Ariel nodded. She'd never been around such an odd assortment of mutants.

"What's your power?" St. John asked.

"My power," she replied. "Is this." She placed the little clay figure on the table. Slowly, the statue stirred and looked up. It stumbled around on its new legs, finally resting on the deck of cards.

"That's awesome!" John exclaimed.

"Can you do that with anything?" Remy asked curiously, probably remembering his experience from earlier. In reply, Ariel pointed at the chair he was sitting. With a jolt, the chair warped into a horse-like form and began bucking like a bronco.

"Gentlemen," John said, in between giggle fits. "I think we have a perfect recruit for the Acolyte Society of Pranks."

* * *

"In here," John whispered. Ariel looked around nervously.

"Are you sure this is safe?" she hissed.

"'Course, love," John replied in undertone. "I come here all the time. Plus, Sabes ain't even here. Probably at some bar."

Ariel followed him cautiously

"Now, what you're going to do is do whatever you can do to his bed. Maybe some other stuff too."

Ariel placed her hand on the top blanket and let a stream of purple energy flow into it. It twitched imperceptibly, but that was the only sign of her work. She did the same to the mattress, sheet and frame. On afterthought, she did the same to a rug lying on the floor.

"Now let's go," John said. They turned to the door to see a massive from blocking the way.

"What," Sabretooth growled. "Are you doing here?"

* * *

Ooh, cliffhanger! Oh how I love/hate them. Love writing 'em, hate reading 'em. Spoiler, next chapter holds the first fight. No duh, it's SABRETOOTH! R&R and don't forget Mr. Sticklepaws!

~Janglin' Bacon


	2. Chapter 2: Balls of Yarn

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

These A/Ns will be short just to be more professional.

The following fight scene was so ridiculous to write (I mean, "the bed pounced?") that you may not take it seriously.

* * *

Chapter 2: Balls of Yarn

* * *

"_Now let's go," John said. They turned to the door to see a massive from blocking the way._

"_What," Sabretooth growled. "Are you doing here?"_

"Well?" he snarled. "Who are ye?" Ariel glanced fearfully to St. John, but the treacherous pyromaniac had already disappeared.

"I'm…uh…new?" Ariel said. Sabretooth snorted. In a blur, he pounced at her. The rug slipped from under Ariel's feet and Sabretooth flew right over her into the wall. The bed pounced on him, the legs were thwacking at him, and the blankets were trying to asphyxiate him. Ariel recovered enough to use her powers on some items in the room. The place was practically Spartan but there were some things.

With a crash, Sabretooth splintered the bed that was mauling him. He tore the blankets to shreds and glared at Ariel with a look of pure hatred. All of a sudden, a desk lamp turned and shone in his face. Roaring at the sudden brightness, Sabretooth staggered back. The light bulbs on the ceiling unscrewed themselves and dropped on his head. The lamp closest to Ariel warped into a human like figure and, grabbing its lampshade "hat," began attacking Sabretooth. Ariel stepped towards the door as Sabretooth finished off his enemies. He stalked towards her, snarling, when the shreds of blankets, sheets and rug knit themselves back into a huge ball the size of a small television. The ball bore down on Sabretooth and smacked him in the back of the head, stunning him. He stood there stupidly for a second. Acting quickly, Ariel roundhouse kicked him in the neck.

Faintly, she could hear footsteps until Remy, Piotr and St. John appeared, ready for a fight. Remy and St. John stood around Sabretooth warily.

"Are you okay Ariel?" Colossus asked. Ariel walked up to St. John and smacked up lightly over the back of the head.

"Now I am," she said.

"Hey!" St. John exclaimed indignantly. "I got help, didn't I?"

"Yeah, just in time to see me take him down." Ariel rolled her eyes. Sabretooth stirred and groaned in pain. Gambit casually kicked the bigger mutant in the face. Pyro looked down at Sabretooth, who was slowly regaining consciousness.

"Alright, guys, let's make like a cherry tree and split!" Pyro said cheerfully. **(A/N: Catch the reference? Review with a smiley face if yes! Or just be normal and say yes…).** The others stared at him blankly.

"Let's just get outta here!"

Enlightenment ensued. They began to leave the room, but were halted by Magneto. The master of magnetism hovered in the doorway, blocking the exit. Pyro looked nervously towards the window.

"What have you three imbeciles done this time?" his eyes glowed with fury. He glanced towards the young girl standing calmly by Sabretooth's prone body.

"Ariel," Magneto said. Gambit swore that his voice softened imperceptibly, but his tone was just as firm. "Please leave."

The girl left without argument; she was no idiot. Magneto commanded respect like a god. She had no doubt he could rule the mutants. Or that he could defeat the humans.

* * *

About an hour later, Ariel heard a weak knock on the door. She was in the process of creating a Lego dream mansion. It really was a dream mansion. It was two feet high and three and a half feet long. The top floor held seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms with little pieces for each. The main floor held a dining area, a ballroom, a library, a lounge and a meeting room. The attic had a maze of offices and studies and a small greenhouse. The basement had a kitchen and arena, but half of it was blocked off. Ariel knew that that was her "counterfeit brick factory" that made "illegal" bricks, as well as an armory and storage rooms. It was what every child (and some adults) dreamed of building, but never hoped to come close. And Ariel had built it without lifting a finger. Her Lego "foreman" walked up to her on tiny, squat, plastic legs.

"Building is complete Mistress. But we ran out of plastic to melt down for the factory," the little toy squeaked. Ariel waved her hand and some worn baby toys popped out of a drawer. Then, she turned her attention to the door.

"Door's open," she said. The door swung open before the person on the other side could state differently. Piotr and St. John stood in the doorway, both carrying cleaning implements, looking disheveled.

"Well?" Ariel asked. "How bad is it?" She didn't necessarily feel guilty. She more felt sorry for them.

"He ran us through a training session. Then he said we have to clean the whole base," Pyro groaned. Ariel winced. That was kind of harsh.

"Let me help," she demanded. St. John had a "by all means" look on his face, but Piotr refused.

"We cannot. It is our punishment." Ariel ignored him and addressed the mop he was holding.

"Take me to your leader." St. John giggled, but the mop slipped out of Piotr's hand and walked towards a storage closet.

"It's like the _Sorcerer's Apprentice_!" St. John gasped. The mop stopped, offended, and swept **(A/N: See that? Genius!)** St. John's feet from under him. Ariel opened the closet and sent her purple sparks at everything in there.

"Alright! Let's get to work!"

* * *

Magneto stalked into the Rec Room, fuming.

"What?" he growled to Remy, St. John and Piotr, "are you doing here instead of cleaning the base?"

Ariel walked into the room just then, carrying a soda. "Oh, I already cleaned it. They were teaching me to play poker. Don't see what all the fuss is about."

"Do you not understand the importance of discipline? This was their duty. It was meant to teach them a lesson!" Magneto rubbed his forehead. "Never mind. Just…don't do it again. Any of you." He gave a pointed glare to the male Acolytes and disappeared out the doorway.

"That went better than it could have," Ariel said pleasantly.

"Err…right," Remy said. "Now, what we're playing is called Texas Hold 'em…"

* * *

Ariel collapsed on her bed. It had been a long day. Between meeting Magneto, moving in, showing off her powers, fighting Sabretooth and cleaning the base, she was exhausted. She idly watched the miniature Lego workers cart around blocks, arguing over each piece went, sometimes even getting into fights. She chuckled as one drew a sword and attacked another, confused as to why his sword didn't chop up his fellow worker. She was brought back to earth as a sharp knock sounded on her door. She waved her hand (she was getting used to it) and the door opened at her bidding. John stood in the doorway wearing a ridiculous chef's hat, a "kiss the cook" apron and some god-awful boots. He cleared his throat.

"Soup's up, Ariel," he crowed. "And," he gestured at the apron, winking, "feel free."

Ariel stood up. "So what's for dinner? Waffles and canned soup? I can't imagine that Magneto'd hire a cook."

"Oh, no, love," John said smugly. "We might be bachelors, but we ain't like that. We're havin' genuine Australian spare ribs. I cook it better than anyone!"

Ariel raised her eyebrow, unimpressed. "I'll be the judge of that."

* * *

Ariel dropped her jaw in shock. "This is…amazing!" John shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, we wanted ta make ya feel welcome," he said. "'s nothing much." The dining hall was decorated with "welcome" signs and a banner that read "Welcome to the Acolytes" proudly. It was slightly singed, but it's the thought that counts, right?

"This is so sweet. Thanks," she smiled at him. Remy swept into the room, with another "kiss the cook" apron.

"No problem, chere. Anything for a belle femme like you," he winked at Ariel, who rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. Piotr walked into the room, carrying a tray with all the food. Pyro threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to the table.

"Welcome to the Acolytes, love."

* * *

Didja like it? Didja didja didja? I hope so! Hint hint, I looooooove reviews. Just saying. Have a great week everybody!

~Janglin' Bacon


	3. Chapter 3: Getting Settled

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

* * *

Chapter 3: Getting Settled

* * *

Ariel leaned back in her chair, bored, as John shuffled his papers. She was "in class" (in the Rec Room) because she needed "orientation" into the Acolytes, according to Pyro. Ariel had never heard of a more stupid idea, but she supposed it'd be more fun than listening to Piotr talk about farm life or Remy brag about his thieving exploits, gambling exploits, sexual exploits, battling exploits, etc. Besides, she didn't know much about what they were doing and what they were against.

"Alright, love!" John said cheerfully, interrupting her thoughts. He had pasted a cartoon picture of a person on the whiteboard.

"Lesson one: Humans." He pointed at the picture of the person. "This is a human. Homo sapien. They're one of the dominant species, the other being us, of course. Now, let's work on the pronunciation, shall we, love?"

Ariel sighed. "John, do you _enjoy_ doing stupid stuff like this?"

"'Course he does, chere. That's what Pyro does best." Remy sauntered into the room, flipping through a deck of cards. Ariel blew a strand of brown hair out of her face.

"_What_ is with all the pet names, anyway?" she demanded. John was standing by the whiteboard, a perplexed expression on his face.

"Did he just insult me?" John finally asked, looking quizzically at Remy. Ariel put her face in her hands.

"Why me?"

* * *

The next morning, Ariel was up and about before any of the others. However, she didn't search for the kitchen until she heard the clang of pots and pans, a slew of curse words and an explosion. When she reached the kitchen, she saw John standing by the counter with a slightly shocked expression on his face and a blackened circle around him.

"John," said Ariel with forced calmness. "What did you do?" John looked up, as if seeing her there for the first time.

"Oh, hello love. You don't like toast in the morning, do you? Neither do I. Nasty stuff, toast. How about some nice, plain bread, that has no need to be cooked with kitchen appliances?" Ariel sighed.

"You know what? I'm just going to have some coffee. Is there a coffee machine or…?"

John laughed nervously. "Funny thing, that. I had the very same idea. You know how people say coffee isn't flammable? They're actually wrong. Very wrong indeed."

"You didn't burn the cereal, did you?" Ariel asked.

"No. But…" John faltered as Ariel held up a hand. "I am going to eat cereal, and it will be the only normal thing in my day." She found a pink box with rainbows on the front, with purple letters declaring that it was 'Rosie Roodle's Rainbow Strudels.'

"Okay, I have no idea why you guys have this, but it doesn't look dangerous," Ariel joked. John just stuttered. Ariel poured herself a bowl of the Rainbow Strudels and found an unopened quart of 'Moo for Me Milk' in the fridge. She was pouring this when Remy walked in.

"Mon dieu!" he cried, pointing at the milk jug. "Is that the Moo for Me?" John just nodded. Ariel rolled her eyes.

"You guys are creeping me out. I'm going to my room. She scooped up her cereal and a glass of orange juice and stalked out.

"God help her soul," Remy whispered. "And her breakfast," John added.

* * *

Five minutes later, a roar shook the base.

"WHO TOOK MY RAINBOW STRUDELS!?" Sabretooth bellowed. There was a pause. "AND MY MOO FOR ME!?" There was a stamping of feet and Ariel's door almost yanked off its hinges. Sabretooth glowered at her. Ariel continued chewing her cereal and stared back, unfazed.

"That my cereal?" Sabretooth asked dangerously. Ariel simply nodded. "And my milk?" Another nod. "You are going to die kid." Magneto walked up behind Sabretooth.

"Victor, what is the…is that my orange juice?" he asked dangerously, glancing at the offending glass. Ariel nodded for the third time in not that many minutes.

"Perhaps we should have laid some ground rules," Magneto said calmly. Jabbing a finger at the orange juice, "that is _my_ orange juice. It is off limits unless you are given express permission. That," he pointed at the bowl of cereal, "Is Victor's cereal and milk. You are not to eat it unless the enemy captures you and tortures you for information and you have no other way to escape. Is that understood?" A final nod. "Good. I think I'll let it slide…for once. If you want your own, I'm sending some of the Acolytes into town tomorrow. Until then…" he let that hang. "Come Sabretooth. I have an assignment for you." They both disappeared. Remy, John and Piotr appeared from around the corner.

"Ariel? You dead, love?" John called out warily. Remy entered her room (without asking , of course).

"Ah, chere! I thought I'd never see your belle face again!" he wrapped her into a hug, sobbing.

"Remy?"

"Yes, chere?"

"Let go of me."

"But—"

"NOW." Remy reluctantly let go. John clapped his hands cheerfully.

"Well, that's all fine. Now, Ariel, let's move on to lesson two: the X-Men!"

* * *

"And those are the X-Men! Now, let's move on the Brotherhood. They—"

"Pyro," Remy swaggered into the 'classroom.' "Mastermind's here. Magneto wants Ariel to meet him."

John nodded. "Class dismissed," he said, but Ariel was already gone.

"Ah, well," John walked out of the room with Remy.

* * *

When Ariel reached the foyer, she saw an old man who looked like a monkey. Or an ape. Does it matter? He was ugly.

"I am _not_ a monkey, nor an ape, thank you," the man said irritably. _Whoa _Ariel thought.

"Generally, telepaths read minds," he said sarcastically. "I am no exception."

"Mastermind. Be courteous. Ariel is the newest addition to our ranks." Ape-man raised an eyebrow skeptically. He opened his mouth to reply, probably something that would make Ariel kick his butt, when a new voice echoed in the room.

"Banana-breath!" John exclaimed.

"Pyro, for the hundredth time: my name is Jason. Jason or Mastermind. Not Ape-man, not Chimp Face, not Gorilla Guy and _certainly_ not Banana Breath."

"Did you get me anything in France?"

"Italy," Mastermind said in exasperation. "I was in Italy."

"So did you get me anything?"

"The only things I bought besides food are a fire extinguisher and aspirin. Lots of aspirin. So, unless you want an aspirin overdose, no, I did not get you anything."

"Aw." John sighed. "Well, now that you're back we can have team meetings with the entire team!" He disappeared excitedly around the corner. Magneto sighed.

"I'm going to need some of that aspirin, Mastermind. Lots of it."

* * *

Next chapter spoiler: a trip into town, a run-in with the New Mutants!


	4. Chapter 4: Cafe Confrontations

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

I had NO idea this story had so many followers! Anyway, I'm planning on about twelve chapters for this story if you're curious.

This chapter ties in with "Time Bomb."

* * *

Chapter 4: Cafe Confrontations

* * *

The sizzling of a fire could be heard before anything. Then muted explosions and a cackling voice crow "burn, baby, burn!" Ariel, along with the rest of the residents of the Acolyte base, padded down the dim hallway, illuminated only by the first shafts of dawn. The source was St. John Allerdyce in full Pyro style, burning down Jason's bathroom.

"God, John, isn't it a little early?" Ariel asked. John simply let out a maniacal laugh and set the toilet on fire. Remy stumbled out of his room blearily. Piotr also appeared from farther down the hallway.

"Whoever woke me up better have written their will, because I'm gonna send them into vie après la mort," Remy grouched. **(A/N: Sorry if my French is wrong, I used Google Translate)**

"What are you doing?" Mastermind shouted, finally emerging from his room.

"Trying giving me an overdose now!" Pyro cackled as the medicine cabinet exploded.

"No!" Mastermind wailed. "My aspirin!" He leapt towards the fire, but was blocked by Colossus.

"No!" Mastermind sobbed. "Noooooo!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" Magneto entered the scene, in full battle armor. He saw John, Jason and Piotr and sighed.

"I need aspirin."

"Too late, boss-man," Remy said. "'s up in flames."

"What?" Magneto growled.

"Fine. You're all going into town today. Just get out of my hair and remember to get more aspirin!"

Remy gave a mock salute and disappeared back into his room, trying to milk out every minute of sleep he could. Piotr set Mastermind on his bed, but decided against it and instead tied him to a chair.

"This is for your own good," he told the glassy eyed illusionist. Mastermind whimpered.

* * *

Ariel let out a breath as she stepped out of the Acolyte's van. Normally they took motorcycles, but Ariel didn't have one and they were planning to buy a LOT of stuff.

"First on the list: lighter fluid," John said cheerfully. He was back to his normal (his version of normal) and cheery self.

"You're reading it upside down," Remy pointed out.

"Oh," John flipped the paper. "First on the list: coffee."

"I could use some of that _now_," Ariel said.

"You're right, love," John said. "How's about we go to Crafters?"

"That is a good idea," Remy said thoughtfully. "They have coffee to drink and to buy."

"Da, and they accept mutants," Piotr put in.

"Not that that'd stop us," John said happily. "Crafters it is."

* * *

"They have a buffet for coffee?" Ariel asked skeptically as she read the sign on the door.

"Yup, and it's good too," John said.

"What part of coffee needs a buffet?" Ariel said.

"I don't know, chere, but it's good," Remy shrugged. They found a table underneath one of the hanging lights and settled in to drink their coffee.

"Ah, that hits the spot," John sighed in contentment. Remy craned his neck as the bell jingled. He took a swig from his mug.

"Well, well, well, looks like we got X-Kids lookin' to get beat." John fell out of his chair to see and Piotr rose to his feet. He turned to Ariel.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked her. Ariel shrugged and purple energy glowed from her hands.

"Alright," Remy rolled his neck, loosening up. "Let's have some fun."

* * *

It was the first time Ariel had been in actual combat. The fight with Sabretooth didn't count. Remy faced off against a slight, red-headed girl and a darker skinned, dark haired girl. Piotr was confronted by a brunette girl and a smaller boy with tousled brown hair and wide eyes. Another boy cockily strode up to John, leaving two Asian kids—a boy and girl, probably siblings—with Ariel. It seemed they had already had targets in mind. Ariel wasn't sure why they had sent two after her…maybe because they didn't know the full extent of her powers? The cocky kid started it. He turned himself into ice—Ariel could feel the cold—and sent a beam at John, setting off the rest.

* * *

Pyro dodged the ice and pulled out a lighter, sending a burst of flame at the little bugger. While he was occupied with that, Pyro set a row of tables on fire, then the restrooms and then the cash register.

"That was kind of unnecessary, wasn't it?" the boy asked, preparing to freeze Pyro into an ice cube.

"Not 'tall mate. It's called planning ahead," Pyro said, dodging a beam of ice and sending his own little gift back. "Ya see, if you try that same trick as last time, freezing up my lighter," another dodge, returned shot, "I'll have some back up fires."

"Not if I can help it," the squirt declared, sending a blast of ice at him. Pyro returned the favor, and soon it was a Battle of fire and ice. _This'd be a _great _scene in a movie,_ Pyro thought.

"Come on mate. We both know that fire beats ice, just like rock beats scissors!"

* * *

Gambit grinned as the red-haired one shifted into a wolf and stalked towards him. He sent a flurry of cards at her, blinding her and then took two chairs, shifting them into a position to trap her.

"Good luck getting out of that, chere," he said. He rolled instinctively as the other girl (now engulfed in flames) sent a stream of fire at him.

"You picked the wrong Cajun," Gambit smirked. "Nobody knows how to deal with fire mutants like me." The girl sent a glance at Pyro and in the moment, Gambit whipped out his mini fire extinguisher, spraying her with it. She let out a squawk and stumbled backwards into a table.

"Sorry chere, but you're just not ready to play wit' the big kids."

* * *

Colossus reluctantly armored up. He might be an Acolyte, but he didn't have to like itThe same girl from before—the one who pulled him into the building—ran at him. As expected she went right through him. However, as she appeared behind him, he reached out and grabbed her. He held her high as she struggled.

"Let go of her!" the little boy shouted. He jumped on Colossus, who was so surprised that he dropped the girl. The boy latched onto Colossus' chest, pummeling his fists on his broad metal shoulders. Colossus tried to pry the boy off, but was surprised as another, identical boy appeared on his back. He grabbed the boy on his chest, but yet another boy appeared. Soon, Colossus was buried under a pile of boys. He could have broken free, but he didn't want to hurt the kid. Finally, he found what he guessed to be the original kid and sit him down on one of the chairs, twisting the chair to keep him in place. Then he turned around to find the girl.

* * *

Ariel stared at the two kids who stared back. She vaguely remembered the girl…June or Julie…but couldn't tell who the boy was. Ah, well. She 'charmed' (that was what she decided to call her ability) a table which grabbed them both with its legs. The girl yelped but the boy reached out and touched the table and it disintegrated. Interesting. First, then, she decided to get the girl out of the way. Ariel waved her hand and one of the lights suspended from the ceiling elongated, plucking the girl from where she stood and holding her, struggling, to the ceiling. A stream of colorful sparks erupted from the girl, but to no avail. The boy would be more of a challenge. Ariel loved challenges. She thrust her hands at the doors, which swung with a crash. The boy raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. He was about to do something when the shattering of glass, screaming and marching of many feet. The other boy turned back to the door as an army—an ARMY—of clothing store mannequins marched towards Crafters. Some were only legs, or upper bodies, or heads, but they all were wearing clothes and they ALL were coming closer. Soon, they burst through the doors. The boy—Ariel's opponent—looked around wildly for help. He shouted something to the ice boy which couldn't be heard of the stamping of plastic feet. Then he dove into the fray, disintegrated mannequins left and right.

* * *

Pyro frowned as the boy knocked the lighter out of his hands, encasing it in ice. Hand't he said that wouldn't work? He nevertheless grinned and continued to harass the boy with fire animals. Just as it was getting good—a giant fire clown!—one of the other buggers shouted something to the ice kid. Ice kid nodded and made a giant block of ice on the ceiling.

"What's that supposed to do mate?" Pyro laughed as he melted the ice off the ceiling.

"Watch," the kid smirked—SMIRKED! AT THE PYRO!—and the melted ice (now water) splashed down, putting out Pyro's beautiful fire and washing our favorite pyromaniac out the door.

* * *

Colossus looked around, confused. How could the girl disappear like that? Then he heard it. The steady whir of propellers. The X-Men's Velocity. Giving the little boy one last glance, he hurried off to collect the others.

* * *

Ariel watched in satisfaction as the mannequins thoroughly trounced her opponent. He was buried under the pile of statues. Suddenly, they were blasted off by a wave of force, knocking back chairs, tables, mannequins and Ariel. She felt Colossus help her up.

"X-Men reinforcements are here," he told her. "Get Pyro, I can collect Gambit." Ariel nodded and ran out the door. She found him lying on his back, his suit was waterlogged and he looked like a turtle on its back.

"X-Men are here," she said shortly. "Get off your butt, we have to go."

"A little sympathy'd be nice, love," he pouted. "Lost my best lighter."

"I'm sorry you can't beat a little kid in a fight, now let's go!" Pyro jumped up and they ran out of the mall, followed by Colossus and Gambit.

* * *

That's all for now folks, thanks. Until next time…


	5. Chapter 5: Window Shopping

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

I have decided to release my chapters in twos. Why? Because I CAN! HA! THE POWER! THE POWER! *Foams at the mouth*

* * *

Chapter 5: Window Shopping

* * *

"Well, second on our list," John said has he checked off 'coffee,' "is aspirin for Mastermind and Mags."

"We should probably go to Dodge's Drugstore for that," Remy said, preparing to take the next turn.

"We were banned from there, remember?" Piotr said.

"Right…" Remy said. "Frank's Pharmaceuticals?"

"That too," John said, pulling out another list of places they were banned from. "And Molly's Medications, and Carla the Chemist."

"And this is normal for you guys?" Ariel asked.

"Yup. There any place we're not banned from, Johnny boy?" Remy said.

"Uh…" John furrowed his brow. "Wall Drug is only about 3,000 kilometers away?"

"How do you know that?" Piotr spoke up.

"Just saw a sign." John pointed at a sign that said, "Want some root beer or ice cold water? Just come to Wall Drug, it's not much farther! 2,647 km."

"Wow. I didn't know they put up signs that far away," Remy said casually.

"Look, there's one you haven't said," Ariel said, pointing at an old shop with a decrepit sign.

"Abby's Apothecary," John read. "Hm. Sounds all very…witch-like."

"Do we care? Let's get some aspirin!" Remy said exasperatedly. Ariel shook her head.

"You guys go. I think I'll stay in the car."

* * *

"I don't think this store will have any aspirin," John whispered as he clung to Remy's trench coat.

"Un, get your fire-starting paws off me. Deux, shut up and look. Trois, we are some of the best trained mutants in the world. I believe we can handle ourselves in a drug store." Remy said irritably, wiping away invisible dust from John.

"Can I help you boys?" John yelped and jumped on Piotr, who stumbled back into Remy, who was trying to pocket a shiny trinket that had caught his eye. Remy knocked over a display stand, which crashed to the ground.

"Oh dear," said the old woman who had appeared from the back of the store. She waved her hand and the class pieced itself together and returned to its previous position.

"Nasty thing, glass. Has a tendency to break."

"Desole, madame," Remy said.

"Oh that's certainly not a problem." The woman winked at him. John twitched, Piotr shuddered and Remy threw up a little in his mouth.

"Er…right. Do you have any aspirin?" Remy asked, more than slightly disturbed.

"Of course not, dear," she said. "It's in the back." She walked back and Remy followed reluctantly. As Piotr and John went to follow, the door slammed shut in their faces.

* * *

Remy gave an unmanly squeal as the door slammed shut behind him. He turned to open the door, but it was stuck.

"Oh, you don't want to leave, do you?" The woman asked, coming closer. Remy cringed as that smell that all old people have filled his nostrils.

"Uh…uh…" Remy managed.

"I see I leave you tongue tied. Well, maybe I should help you with that," she said.

"HELP!"

* * *

Ariel was wakened rudely as John, Piotr and Remy jumped into the van. This time Piotr was at the wheel. John was gagging into the glove compartment and Remy was spasming from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Nothing you want to know about," Piotr said calmly, looking a bit ill.

"Okay," Ariel said and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Well, it's been a while since the 'incident' and I think I regained my appetite. Let's get something to eat," John suggested. Piotr nodded in agreement. Ariel was still curled up in her chair, sleeping and Remy had to be duct taped to his.

"Do you think that is a good idea, Remy?" Piotr called back. Remy made a muffled sound.

"I think he thinks it is a good idea," Piotr told John.

"So, where should we go?" John asked.

"Well," Piotr said slowly. "Taco King refuses service to mutants, we were banned from Ollie's Outback and you burned Waldo's Waffle house because they didn't allow lighters."

"What about that old chimichanga place?" John asked.

"Do you not read the newspaper?"

"I saw something about it before I burned it."

"Some crazy person in a weird red suit killed almost everyone and blew it up because they took more than the guaranteed forty-six seconds," Piotr said. "At least, that is what the survivor said."

John whistled. "That guy's crazier than me! Now, Burger Bomb?"

"Yes. To Burger Bomb."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight." Remy leaned over the counter and looked into the server's eyes. "You can't let him bring in his lighter, even when none of us have cigarettes?"

John was standing outside with Ariel, who was making sure that he didn't burn anything. While Remy and the server talked, Piotr was saving them a booth. The server swallowed.

"Tha-that is company policy, sir," he stammered. Remy glanced at his name tag.

"Well Carlos—can I call you Carlos?—Five words, mon ami. The customer is always right."

Carlos swallowed again. They never trained you for this kind of stuff! He decided to do what his cousin Larry always told him to do in a jam.

"YOU PUT YOUR RIGHT FOOT IN, YOU PUT YOUR RIGHT FOOT OUT, YOU PUT YOUR RIGHT FOOT IN AND YOU SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT!" Carlos sang and danced to the words, oblivious to the stares he got. "YOU DO THE HOKEY POKEY AND YOU TURN YOURSELF AROUND, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!" Remy grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him to eye level.

"Larry was wrong," he gulped.

* * *

"Man, this was a brilliant idea, Remy!" John exclaimed for the thirtieth time. Remy grinned. Usually the repetition annoyed him, but when it was singing his praises, he'd let it pass. Ariel rolled her eyes.

"Going through the drive-thru isn't _that_ novel, John," she said.

"Come on, chere, it can't be that bad, listening to him compliment me," Remy said, grinning.

"Abby," Ariel said, not looking up. Remy froze, then started spasming wildly again.

"Aw, nuts," John pouted as his drink spilled into the bag of food. Piotr grabbed Remy and sat him down in the seat, wrapping the seatbelt around him like a mummy.

"Wow," Ariel said calmly. "That was a satisfying reaction."

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Magneto pinched the bridge of his nose. "You didn't get coffee but you destroyed the only mutant friendly café. You didn't get aspirin but you were apparently assaulted by the pharmacist. You didn't even save the burgers I was hoping to share with my children when I spend time with them tomorrow. Is there anything you did get?"

"Bad memories. Baaaad memories," Remy whimpered.

"And yet I traded you for the Brotherhood. Why did I trade you with the Brotherhood?" He turned and shook his fist in the direction of Bayville. "Curse you Charles! You _had_ to take the good ones! You just _had_ to!"

* * *

Haha. I had fun with this chapter. Much fun. Next chapter: Boring ol' nothing!


	6. Chapter 6: Sick Day (Don't Bother Me)

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

I have decided to release my chapters in twos. Why? Because I CAN! HA! THE POWER! THE POWER! *Foams at the mouth*

I added a little paragraph to chapter 1. Might not make a difference, but…

* * *

Chapter 6: Sick Day (Don't Bother Me)

* * *

Ariel moaned. She was leaning over her bed, hunched over a bucket that was filled with a greenish-brown…liquid. If it could be called that. John walked in, carrying a small bottle.

"Feeling better, love?" he asked, keeping a safe distance. Ariel replied by retching into the bucket.

"Here," John said, holding out the bottle. "Piotr said this will help. You havta take a teaspoon."

"What is that?" she asked, staring at the murky blue concoction.

"I dunno, love. Some sort of medicine." John whipped out a teaspoon and filled it, holding it out to her.

"Drink up." Ariel did so obediently, then gagged and vomited it into the bucket.

"Did it work?"

"Are you kidding me? The bile tasted better than that crap," Ariel spat.

"I'll go get something else then," John said, turning to leave.

"If you try to give me any other medicine, I swear I'll projectile vomit on you!"

* * *

Remy leaned against his doorway, farther down the hall.

"How is she?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Still sick. And grumpy," John replied.

"Perhaps it'll just take a little Cajun charm to cheer her up," Remy suggested. Pyro snorted.

"Your funeral."

Remy just smirked and sauntered into Ariel's room.

Ariel narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you doing in my room?" she asked.

"Well, chere, just thought I'd try to cheer you up," Remy replied suavely.

"I don't want to be cheered up, I want you to LEAVE!" Ariel growled. Remy raised his hands in defeat.

"Alright, this Cajun knows when he's beat," he said, retreating out her door. "Just don't say I didn't try."

* * *

Remy crept closer to Ariel's door. Inside, he could hear laughing and talking.

"Uno!" John sang.

"John! We're not playing Uno! We're playing Go Fish!" Ariel laughed. Flinging caution to the wind (and his common sense) he threw open the door, catching Ariel in mid-laugh. His eyes darted around, seeing John and Piotr too, sitting at a card table set up by Ariel's bed.

"Uh, there is such a thing as knocking," Ariel said.

"Why wasn't I invited to the party, chere?" Remy pouted pathetically.

"Well, mate," John said, turning around in his chair. "First of all, you cheat in cards. Second, you only ever want to play poker. Third, you flirt shamelessly with Ariel. Fourth—"

"I think I get it," Remy said. "You're enjoying this too much, John."

"I think we're all enjoying ourselves," Piotr interrupted.

"Et tu, Petey?" Remy asked. Piotr shrugged.

"Guys, can you just take your arguing away? You're giving me a headache," Ariel complained.

"Sorry, love," John said. The three older Acolytes left the room quickly to avoid the wrath of Ariel.

* * *

"So…" John said, glancing over his list. "We tried a buncha different medicine, we tried cheering her up…what do we do now?" Remy looked up from going through John's stuff.

"I don't know mon ami," he said solemnly. "Give her Sabes' blood?"

"If you want to. She threatened homicide to the next person who tries to help her," Piotr said.

"There is that," Remy said agreeably. "Hey John, don't you have any good stuff?"

"Yeah, in my—wait a minute, what are you doing?" John snatched his prized Zippo from Remy.

"Get your filthy, thievin', Cajun paws out of me stuff, mate," John exclaimed. Remy shrugged.

"Nothing else to do, mon ami."

"We're supposed to be plotting—I mean, planning—ways to get Ariel better."

"I'm not a doctor!" Remy said, exasperated. "Why don't you try scaring her?"

"I thought that was for hiccups," John said.

"Maybe, I dunno. Worth a try."

John stroked his chin. "It…might work," he pondered. "Alright, I'll do it!" He ran from the room. Remy chuckled.

"God have mercy on his soul."

"And Ariel too," Piotr chimed in.

* * *

Ariel knew someone was there. Part of her powers enabled her to differentiate living things from non-living things. She was, however, greatly surprised when John jumped through the door, heralded by flames and shouted an enthusiastic "boo!" She screamed in surprised and the door slammed shut, knocking John all the way across the hall.

"Owie," John muttered, then passed out.

* * *

"So…" John again consulted his list. "We tried the cheering up, medicine and now…scaring her."

"What is it with you and lists mon ami?" Remy said.

"I dunno," John said. "They're fun to make."

"Well," Piotr said. "She does not yet have a codename. Perhaps we could help her."

"Good idea mate!" John shouted. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Lemme get this straight," Ariel said with a raised eyebrow. "You want to pick me a nickname?"

"Yes," John said cheerfully. "Every mutant needs another name!"

"How about…" Ariel pretended to think about it. "Ariel?"

"Aw, chere, don't be like that," Remy said.

"He is right. In battle codenames are useful," Piotr said.

"Alright, fine," Ariel said. John pulled out a computer, several dictionaries and a book entitled "Idiot's Guide to Codenames for Any Mutant Who has Recently Joined a Group and Wants to Pick a Name While They're Sick."

"What about…" John scanned the guide. "Sprite?"

"NO WAY!" Deadpool shouted. "Don't you know anything?! That weird phasing girl used to have that name! Why don't you _read_ the Marvel Wiki?!"

"What are you doing in this fic!?" Jangling Bacon asked. "You're supposed to be preparing for _Born Wild_!"

"Whoopsie!" Deadpool said and disappeared.

Ariel shook her head. "That was weird."

John scratched his head. "That wasn't just in my head, was it?"

Remy frowned. "I don't think so, mon ami."

* * *

"Anima?" Ariel said skeptically. John nodded enthusiastically.

"It means "spirit" in Latin," he explained. "And you "give spirit" to stuff. Plus, Ariel means spirit too."

"I guess," Ariel sighed.

"YAY!" John cheered. "Feeling better?"

"Actually…"Ariel said slowly. "Yeah. I do."

"WOOHOO!" all the other Acolytes erupted into really different dance moves. Remy had broken out into the disco, Piotr was doing some sort of waltz and John was just waving his hands around wildly.

"Okay," Ariel held up her hands. "Now you're just giving me a headache."

"Know how we should celebrate?" Remy said. "Poker."

Ariel stared at him.

Remy stared back.

Ariel stared harder.

Remy stared back.

Ariel stared harder.

Remy stared back.

Ariel stared harder.

John picked his nose.

"That is disgusting," Ariel said.

"That means yes?" Remy asked.

Ariel sighed.

* * *

This was a nonsense chapter. I got the medicine from a friend and advisor. Anywho, please review!


	7. Chapter 7: Brotherhood Battle

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

Alright, in case ya didn't notice, the homicidal chimichanga man mentioned in Chapter 5 was Deadpool.

* * *

Chapter 7: Brotherhood Battle

* * *

"Remind me again why we're going to fight the Brotherhood?" Ariel asked. "Aren't they on our side?"

"They were formed by us," Magneto admitted. "But the person I placed in charge of them, Mystique, rebelled against me."

"Hm," Sabretooth said. "That probably has something to do with you abandoning her. Or with you experimenting on her son. Or—"

"We get the point, Sabretooth," Magneto interrupted. "Admittedly, I made some mistakes. But that is little reason to lead a crusade for my demise."

"I think that sounds reasonable," Pyro muttered under his breath. Colossus nodded.

"The _point_ is, I will not have Mystique mess up everything we've worked for just for her own agenda," Magneto growled.

"Isn't that what you do to Xavier?" Pyro asked. Magneto strode off.

"Just walk away," Colossus muttered. "It worked on your daughter."

* * *

"Well, well, well," Pyro crowed as they stepped into the front yard of the Brotherhood house. "Looks like the bears ain't at home. Can I eat their porridge?"

Magneto sighed. "Do whatever you want."

Pyro, Gambit and Ariel went inside. Pyro to destroy things, Gambit to loot and Ariel just to look around.

"Burn baby burn!" Pyro cackled. Outside, Sabretooth turned to Magneto.

"Should I do anything?"

"Just go see if they have any aspirin. Colossus can stay out with me," Magneto replied.

Sabretooth lumbered off. When he entered the house, he came upon Remy trying to fit the DVD player into his trench coat.

"Nothing to see here," Gambit said. Sabretooth continued on. He passed a room to find Ariel sending a room into chaos. The bed was chasing the desk around, the lamp was dancing on top of the desk, the clothes were having a fashion show. Sabretooth continued, seeing Pyro about to set the bathroom aflame.

"I don't think so," he growled, grabbing the pyromaniac by the collar and throwing him down the hall. He rummaged through the cabinets and found a small bottle with tiny words written on it. They seemed to start with an "a". Not bothering to check, Sabretooth stuffed Avalanche's Antidepressants in his pocket and trudged down the stairs.

* * *

"They have returned," Magneto said, donning his helmet. Colossus scanned the road and saw Lance's jeep coming up the road.

"They seem to have just come from a battle," Colossus said. The other Acolytes appeared from the Boarding House.

"Good," Gambit grinned. "It makes it even easier to wipe the floor with 'em."

"Hey!" the Blob shouted, getting out of the car. "What are you guys doing at our house?"

"Yeah, that ain't cool, yo!" Toad put in. Avalanche saw the smoke pouring out of the windows.

"No! My aspirin!" he moaned. Pietro sped up to them.

"Oooh, who's the newbie?" he grinned, leering at Ariel. Gambit stepped in front of her, shielding her from his view.

"None of your business, _mon ami_," he said tightly.

"Well, I'll make it mine," he replied.

"Will you stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Ariel sighed. She flicked her hands and Quicksilver's uniform began glowing with a purple light. Suddenly, Quicksilver yelped as he—or rather, his uniform—began dancing the funky chicken.

"Heeelp!" Quicksilver wailed. And the battle began. It was a short battle. I mean, Gambit singlehandedly beat them. Toad jumped up and was caught by Colossus, who threw him through a window. Avalanche was knocked out as Gambit tossed a handful of cards at him. Blob grabbed Sabretooth in a headlock.

"Don't move or I'll kill 'im!" Blob shouted.

"Sure, mon ami. Take hostage the only one who can heal," Gambit smiled.

"I've got ya, mate!" Pyro called to Sabretooth.

"Wai—" FOOOOOOOOOOOM! A burst of flame consumed the Blob and Sabretooth. When the smoke cleared, Sabretooth was singed and fuming and Blob was unconscious.

"I swear," Sabretooth growled. "I will kill you, Pyro." Then he reached in his pockets.

"The aspirin!" he cried. Magneto turned to the culprit in shock.

"PYRO!"

* * *

"Aw," John moaned for the thirtieth time as he scrubbed the bathroom tiles. "This sucks."

"Serves you right," Ariel said indifferently (for the thirtieth time), reading a book. "And I'm not bailing you out this time."

John pouted and returned to scrubbing. "I wonder if this cleaning fluid is fla—"

"Don't finish that sentence," Ariel threatened.

"What's going on in here?" Remy asked, swaggering down the hall. He did a lot of swaggering, strutting and sauntering.

"Hey, Remy, is this cleaning fluid flammable?" John asked from his spot on the floor.

"If you want to find out, I'll be happy to douse you in it first," Ariel said.

"Say, Remy," John said, deciding to change the subject. "Didja happen to catch the name of that fire-girl the other day?" Remy rolled his eyes.

"We weren't exactly makin' small talk, mon ami," he said.

"I know, I know…" John said.

"And I don't like consorting with the enemy," he went on.

*Cough cough* "Rogue" *cough cough* (from John).

"BUT…" Remy said with a pointed glare at John. "Espionage and women are my two strong points. I think I can help."

"If women are your strong points, how do you explain Rogue?" Ariel asked. Remy shot a startled glance at her.

"How do you know about that?" Remy demanded. John went back to cleaning, whistling innocently.

* * *

Perhaps not as long as my other chapters. In fact, it is very short compared to the others. But I DON"T CARE!


	8. Chapter 8: The Courting of Magma

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

I have no idea what to say here :P

* * *

Chapter 8: The Courting of Magma

* * *

"This is gonna be great!" John exclaimed again.

"It'll be better if you shut up," Remy told him. John closed his mouth and leaned over Remy's shoulder to look at the plans.

"Wow," the pyromaniac breathed in awe. Remy took in a deep breath and counted to five.

"John" he said through clenched teeth. "Either breath somewhere else or _don't breath at all_!"

"Don't tell me you guys are actually going to do this?" Ariel said, entering Remy's room.

"Of course, love!" John exclaimed. "The Pyro never backs down!"

"And Remy would never miss a chance to see the Rogue," Piotr put in as he joined the others.

"You do realize that there is a Rec Room for entertainment purposes?" Remy said through clenched teeth. "My room is a temple. Not the meeting place for gossipers."

"But this is so much more fun!" Ariel complained. Remy put his head in his hands.

"Fine. But you have to help."

"How?" Ariel asked. Remy told her.

"I can't do that!" she said.

"Oh, but you _can_," Remy replied holding up a metal headset.

"What's that?"

* * *

Three hours earlier

* * *

Erik let out a rare smile as he put the finishing touches on his device.

"At last, my power amplifier is finished." He turned to the door of his lab. "Now to celebrate with a bottle of champagne." As soon as he left, Remy snuck into the lab and grabbed the headset. Placing it delicately on his head, he activated it and waited for something to happen.

"Maybe you have to use your powers," he muttered to himself. He tried charging up a playing card that he pulled from a pocket, but instead his flesh and blood hand began glowing with the telltale magenta.

"Crap!" he hissed and drew the energy back. "Better take this for later." The headset was stashed in a pocket and he disappeared, leaving no sign he was ever there.

* * *

Back to present

* * *

"Try it," the group urged as Ariel studied the headset. She set it on her head then looked to Remy.

"Now use your powers on something," he told her. "Something normally beyond your limits."

"Okay," Ariel said. She walked out the door, followed by the others. Soon they came upon the hangar.

"Since when do we have a jet?" John scratched his head. "Looks better than those cramped, giant, metal marbles." He was, naturally, ignored. Ariel stretched out her hands to the jet and concentrated. With a creak and a groan, it shifted itself into a more humanoid form and turned to the Acolytes.

"Wow," they said in unison.

"So it works." Ariel removed the headset. "We better lay low for now. Plan our attack. Then use it."

"Of course," Remy said, snapping out of his trance. "Let's go."

* * *

Amara sat down in her chair, next to Tabitha (who had rejoined) and across from Jubilee (who was by Bobby and Jason). All of a sudden, the Professor shouted,

"AMARA! LOOK OUT!" and the floor opened up and she fell. Down, down, down. Into a closed off area of the sewers. Into the middle of a small group of people she recognized. In a bad way.

"LET ME OUT!" she shouted at the Acolytes.

* * *

"Next on the list: to the movies!" John exclaimed. He was followed by a glaring Amara (who couldn't run _or_ use her powers) and farther back came the rest of the Acolytes.

"This is low," Ariel stated. Piotr nodded.

"Well," Remy drawled. "It's not my date, but I must agree, this is almost more desperate than Blob."

"What?" Ariel asked.

"Never mind."

"Oooh, _Revenge of the Lighter_ is showing!" John said. He rushed off and the others followed dutifully.

"Never thought I'd play sixth wheel on Pyro's date," Remy grumbled. He reluctantly forked over the money for the over-priced popcorn.

"Well, technically, we're only on guard duty," Ariel told him.

"Still…" Remy said.

"Rogue might help search for her," Piotr added helpfully. A strange look fell over Remy's face.

"Well…I suppose it can't be THAT bad."

* * *

Remy sighed mournfully as Ariel read off the menu at the Cold Stone Creamery.

"Hey look, ice cream cones are only fifty bucks!" Ariel said cheerfully. Remy sighed again. "Never coming on one of Pyro's dates again."

"Hey, this is fun!" Ariel said. "Just wouldn't be as a date."

"Whatever," groused Remy. He looked at the bill. "HALF A FREAKING GRAND!?" The majority of the restaurant turned to stare at him.

"It's a half a freaking grand!" he hissed. Ariel yawned.

"Good thing you make a living off other people, right?" Remy just snorted and grabbed a nearby worker…no, lackey. This was robbery.

"Why the heck is the ice cream for three people half a grand?" he snarled.

"Well, that's the price the company charges, sir," he stuttered.

"Why don't you just point a gun at me while you're at it?!" Remy snapped back. "Wait…I recognize you. Carol, right?"

"Carlos, sir."

"Oh. Yeah. The Burger Bomb guy."

"Yeah."

"It's good to see you again, Carlos, buddy, mon ami."

"You still have to pay."

"Crap."

* * *

Ahead, John and Amara strolled through the park. Actually, John strolled, Amara was pulled reluctantly.

"Don't look now," Piotr said, "but I see X-Men." Sure enough, Wolverine, Shadowcat and Nightcrawler were at the edge of a crowd, lookin' tough and stuff.

"Let's move," Ariel said.

"But I don't see Rogue," Remy whined.

"Look later!"

"But she might be coming! I sh—" He stopped abruptly as Piotr knocked him over the head and slung him over his shoulder.

"It was the fastest way," he said simply.

"I'm not complaining," Ariel replied. "Time to go, Pyro!" They dashed to a van that they had hidden and drove off, leaving a bewildered Amara and an enraged Wolverine.

* * *

Erik sighed. He really wished he had aspirin. First his power amplifier disappeared, now this. He pressed his answering machine again.

"Erik, I don't know what you've done with Amara…" (Charles)

"Metal control or not, I'm gonna …" (Logan)

"Moo For You! Moo for Me! Moo for Everybody! Moo For Me Milk!" (Don't ask)

"I lost them, but saw the X-Men…" (Sabretooth)

"Those idiots are very, very, very dead!" he shouted.

* * *

"You steal my power amplifier," Magneto fumed. "Kidnap one of the X-Men _again_, take her on a date and act like I _won't notice_!?" he continued ranting and raving unintelligibly for a few minutes.

"I think he needs help," Remy commented.

"Perhaps Pyro should not have burned that aspirin," Piotr added. Remy opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

* * *

Next chapter: the return of Avalanche's Antidepressants!


	9. Chapter 9: Title Too Large to Fit Here

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

Last chapter was weird.

I told you they'd return! If you are confused by the end of the chapter, read chapter 7 again.

* * *

Chapter 9: The Return of Avalanche's Antidepressants!

* * *

Remy juggled the small white bottle that he had stolen from Sabretooth at the Brotherhood Boarding house. It was small, white and had a red label. Scrawled in black across the front were the words "Avalanche's Antidepressants." AKA, Happy Pills. At least that's what Remy thought. He had never seen people take these. And he thought there were different kinds. Ah, well. He'd find out when he stuck it in someone's food. All of a sudden, a shout came down the hall.

"Hey, runt!" Sabretooth snatched the bottle out of Remy's gloved hands.

"That's the bottle of aspirin I got from the Brotherhood! It thought it got burned!" He glared at Remy. "These are going to Magneto."

Remy grinned.

* * *

Flashback

* * *

"The Brotherhood is here!" Pyro crowed as he ran out the door. Sabretooth came after him. Watching carefully, Gambit noticed a small lump in Sabretooth's pocket. Smirking, he pulled out a bottle of aspirin that he'd found in Avalanche's room and replaced Sabretooth's bottle with his own. _Antidepressants,_ Gambit thought, reading the label. _Fun_.

* * *

Present

* * *

"Take 'em, mon ami," Remy said grandly. "I don't need 'em."

"I wasn't asking, runt," Sabretooth snarled. He stalked off.

"Charming fellow, isn't he?" Remy muttered and followed to see what happened.

* * *

"Mastermind, I don't care what—" Magneto sighed.

"It's not Mastermind," Sabretooth replied.

"What is it, Sabretooth," Mageneto asked.

"I found THIS with the Cajun," Sabretooth tattled, brandishing the 'aspirin.' Magneto's face lit up like a child on Christmas.

"GIMME!" he lunged at the bottle and Sabretooth dodged him.

"Uh, boss…" Sabretooth said nervously. Magneto threw him through a wall with the metal clasps on his boots and snatched the bottle.

"MINE!" he shouted triumphantly. He emptied the whole bottle down his throat and drank out of the tap. "YES!"

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Ariel asked.

"Heck yes," Remy smirked. "Did you see him BEFORE he got the happy pills? He's already cracking!"

"This is gonna be great!" John cackled. "I'll get my camera!" He scampered off, giggling.

* * *

"THIS WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA!" Remy screamed as he was swung around violently by his metal boots. John was frantically chasing his lighter around the room, snatching and grabbing at it as it rose and ducked out of reach. Piotr, meanwhile, was on damage control, picking up things as they fell and pushing broken things out of reach.

"Next time you have a brilliant idea, Gambit," John snapped as he dove over the couch from a stray lamp, "leave us OUT of it!"

"Maybe next time (WHOA) we should just get him (OUCH) drunk," Remy replied. "At least then, (WAIT NO NO NO!) he'll have a (AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH) hangover!"

"Trust me," Ariel said from the corner, where she blasted away anything with her powers. "He's not gonna be feeling too hot when this is over." The Master of Magnetism himself was flying around the room, making the lights go haywire with his powers.

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the savior of mutant-kind squealed giddily. "I LOVE ASPIRIN!" He crashed into a wall. "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! I LOVE WALLS!" He fell to the ground, giggling like a schoolgirl (no offense, schoolgirls).

"I want more aspirin!" he shouted.

"Actually, boss, that was—"

"MORE!" Remy was flung through the door and down the hall.

"GOTCHA!" John shouted as he grabbed his lighter. "Wait, what?" He was carried out the empty doorway, screaming. "DON'T WORRY SHARON, I'M HOLDING YOUR HAND!"

"Ariel, can you hold him with the armor?" Piotr asked.

"I might…but not until the…happy pills wear off," she replied uncertainly.

"I'll get the power amplifier," Piotr told her, "it should help you with that."

* * *

"Here it is!" Piotr shouted. Ariel had been holding Magneto still for the past five minutes.

"Finally," Ariel breathed. Just as she reached out to grab it, it was yanked from her hand by an invisible force.

"YAY!" Magneto cheered. The power amplifier was thrown out into the hall.

"Ugh, that is it," Ariel muttered. Magneto's already purple cape began glowing violet.

"Pretty!" he said. Then it began cutting off his air. After a little bit, he began to fall unconscious from lack of oxygen.

"Are you sure that was necessary?" Piotr asked.

"Heck yes!" Ariel exploded. "He broke the power amplifier!"

"What was that you said?" Remy said, strolling in, juggling the headset.

"You saved it!" Ariel cried in relief.

"Well, I am just a knight in shining armor," Remy smirked. "Listen I know a guy who could fix this up. Make it better concealed, stronger, that sorta thing."

"Alright," Ariel conceded. "But remember, officially, it was destroyed by Magneto. Got it?"

"Well…" Remy began. His coat started to tighten around him. "…I saw it shatter." he finished awkwardly. She nodded to him.

"Good." And that was it.

* * *

Magneto groaned as he came to in the infirmary.

"What happened?" he asked Sabretooth. The feral mutant grunted.

"Well, you messed up the base, beat up your Acolytes and destroyed your power amplifier."

"What?" Magneto said in confusion.

"Apparently, that 'aspirin' was actually happy pills," Sabretooth told him. "And you took a whole bottle."

"That's why my head and throat are throbbing," Magneto deduced.

"Actually, that's because Ariel strangled you into unconsciousness."

"Oh."

* * *

"Well, that could have gone worse than it did," Remy said optimistically.

"But I didn't get any footage at ALL!" John groaned. As he helped Remy move the couch back in place, he saw a glitter of metal on the floor.

"MY CAMERA!" he cried in relief. He dropped the couch, ignoring Remy's groans as the weight of the whole couch knocked him to the floor, and grabbed the camera.

"Yes!" he punched the air. "I got the whole thing on tape!"

"Quick!" Remy said, recovering suspicously quickly. "Send it to someone else before he can delete it!" John nodded flew to his computer.

"How about…the X-Geeks?" he suggested to himself.

"Wait, what?" Remy said. "No!" He ran to stop John but it was too late.

"Now, the only email address I have is that white-striped sheila…"

"NOT ROGUE!" Remy burst into the room as a window flashed on the screen. _Message sent._

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

I had much fun with this. Too much, in fact.

I have no idea if antidepressants do that to you, but I suppose mutants are different, so that's my excuse.

—Janglin' Bacon


	10. Chapter 10: Title Too Large (Again)

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

Well, I'm nearing the end (actually, I'm deciding to end it soon). This is the climax for "Time Bomb" but is not for this story, don't fret.

* * *

Chapter 10: Explosions and Cajuns and X-Men, oh my!

* * *

"The plan is simple," Magneto said, pacing through the ranks of the Acolytes. "We well break into the facility. Mastermind and Colossus will take care of anything related to Pow-r 8. The rest of you will handle any soldiers or guards. Any questions?"

"Can we get pizza afterwards?" Pyro asked. Magneto's eyes glowed.

"Just go."

* * *

There was an explosion and one of the exits blew inward. Gambit and Colossus led the way. The Ragin' Cajun had a fistful of glowing cards and Colossus was in full steel form. They were followed by Pyro and Anima. Pyro's flamethrowers were glowing with fire suppressed only by his abilities and Anima's hands were glowing purple.

"This way," Gambit told them in a stage whisper.

"You know, the blowing the door kinda tipped them off to our location," Anima whispered back. She was wearing a purple uniform that she had designed herself, with vambraces to protect her arms and metal tipped boots for extra painful roundhouse kicks.

"Yeah, I just want to make the guards surrounding us think they got us by surprise," Gambit replied before flinging a handful of cards in a 360 arc.

"A little warning!" Anima hissed as she ducked.

"Open fire!" came a voice and dozens of bullets flew towards them—before glowing with purple light. They turned into little airplanes and flew back to their owners who screamed as they were chased by their own bullets.

"Let's move, there's bound to be more people in this place," Gambit said. He paused as a message was relayed through his earpiece.

"Mags wants me out front. Secure the building," he told the others. Without waiting for a reply, he sprinted off, sending charged cards at any obstacle in his way.

"Great," Ariel grumbled. "Now we do all the work." She spun around as a soldier neared her, kneeing him in the groin before punching him in the throat. Using her powers, she set him on his friends, glove pulling the trigger, boots moving around, yet he was not doing it of free will. The crackling of a headset interrupted their battle.

"Mags, you might want to see this out front," Gambit said.

"Very well," Magneto replied. "Anima, come with me. The rest of you, wait for further orders."

* * *

The sight that greeted Anima's eyes was a sight she would not soon forget. The road was packed with people carrying anti-mutant signs, like "Down with Mutants!" (Real original), or "Bring back Pow-r 8!" Many of them were being engaged by some mutants.

"How do they even know that it harms mutants?" Anima asked in shock.

"I do not know," Magneto said grimly. "But we have other problems." He and Anima fully exited the building and they came face to face with the X-Men.

"Magnus, why are you here?" Charles asked, rolling towards Magneto. Anima stepped back a bit behind Magneto.

"That is not of your concern Charles. What is of your concern is that your team is about to be defeated," Magneto responded coolly. With a wave of his hands, he sent one of them—Wolverine, if Anima could remember correctly—into the side of the building. Without even checking if he was still conscious, he sent all the metal in the building hurtling at the surprised X-Men. Some of them stayed on their feet, but the majority of them were hit.

"Anima," he said. "Deal with the humans." She nodded and dashed off to wreak havoc.

* * *

As she got closer, she realized the mutants keeping the crowd at bay were the mutants they had fought at the café. She nodded at them. Magma glared at her as well as Jubilee, but the new guy just smirked. They seemed to know how to use their powers in non-lethal ways. For a moment she watched as the kids were one by one taken down. Leaving one: the one kid who had gotten close to beating her.

"Scared of shedding a little blood?" Anima murmured. She reached down to a necklace hanging around her neck. Pressing the purple stone in the middle, she felt the familiar buzz as her powers were amplified. Grinning with the rush of energy, she thrust her arms out at a nearby truck. With a screech of metal and a burst of purple light, the truck shifted into a large, iron giant. With a honk of its horn, it charged into battle, smashing people into walls, crushing others under its wheels and generally causing chaos. It did the trick. Between her and the X-Geek, the crowd scattered. When she looked to the X-Geek, however, he was lying unconscious on the ground. Too bad. She'd have liked to see his expression when he saw _that_. Rushing over, she checked his pulse. _Alive, _she thought. _But there's something wrong_.

"Anima!" Magneto called. "Leave him. We're done here."

"But—"

"NOW!" Anima obediently left the X-Man lying on the ground. Soon, they were on their way back to the base, flying at the speed of sound in giant metal balls.

* * *

"Mmm," John sighed as he bit into the steaming pizza. They sat around a table in a pizzeria at an undisclosed location in Bayville.

"This is good," Ariel agreed.

"Ya know, I feel this would be an awesome scene in a movie," John said. "Eating food at a partially decimated restaurant after a huge climatic battle."

"Non, that'd just take away the drama of the battle," Remy argued. "It'd be better after the credits." John pondered this.

"I suppose you're right, mate," he finally said. "But then, who ever puts scenes _after_ the credits?"

* * *

That's the end of that chapter. I wish I had Deadpool, since he breaks the fourth wall. All I can do is have John hint at that. I could bring Deadpool in at random moments, but I did and ya shouldn't use the same trick twice.

—Janglin' Bacon


	11. Chapter 11: A Fistful of Paintballs

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

Random filler chapter. I may have stolen the title from Community. May have.

* * *

Chapter 11: A Fistful of Paintballs

* * *

Ariel collapsed on the couch.

"There's nothing to do!" she cried. John looked up from his lighter.

"'Course there is, love," he replied. "My mum always told me something."

"What'd she tell you?" Ariel asked.

"Oh, she told me that I was a worthless freak that'd never amount to anything," John said. "But she also told me, 'St. John, if you've got nothing to do, make something up!'"

"Like what?"

John pondered this. The his face lit up. "Paintball!"

* * *

"Let me get this straight," Remy said skeptically. "You want me to let you use my paintball guns to _play_?"

"You could join too, mate," John said excitedly.

"WWMS: What would Magneto say?"

"Oh, he'd probably think it's a good training exercise." John replied. Remy sighed. "Alright. Fine. Where would we play?"

* * *

"The rules are simple," Pyro said. He stood in front of the other Acolytes like an officer giving orders. He wore his typical 'Pyro' uniform along with a ridiculous motorcycle helmet. "If you get paint on you, you're out. No using powers to get paint on other people, but you can use them for evasion and defense. Last one standing wins. GO!" With a cry, Anima, Gambit, Pyro and Colossus drew their handguns and dashed in opposite directions. Pyro disappeared in the dining hall, Gambit sprinted to the garage, Colossus hid in his art studio and Ariel claimed the Rec Room. The battle was on.

* * *

Gambit and Pyro were the first to meet. Gambit had ventured into the hallway and Pyro was sneaking on attack on Anima. As he heard the almost silent footsteps, Pyro jumped into the Rec Room, sealing the exit with a barrage of flaming paintballs. There was silence, then a roaring explosion as the door was knocked in. Gambit stood in the flames, a demon that surely no man could stand against. Then, suddenly, two paintballs whizzed past his face. Crying out, he jumped out and dashed away.

"WOOHOO!" Pyro cheered, then froze as a third paintball hit him in the back of the neck and slid down his shirt.

"One down, three to go," Anima grinned and crawled out from the couch.

* * *

Colossus was getting tired of hiding in his art studio. There was little to do. Though there was enough paint, there were no enemies. Armoring up, he stepped out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. Looking around cautiously, he moved towards the garage where he had seen Gambit run. As he stepped in, he heard the pounding of feet as Gambit sped back to his base. He stopped right before the door and Colossus cursed himself for leaving it open.

"Doesn't Goldilocks want to come out and play?" Gambit said slowly. Colossus readied his gun. And his armor creaked. The next moments happened in slow motion. Colossus and Gambit both jumped, firing rapidly in midair. As they neared the ground, a spray of paintballs sent them scurrying for cover. A cruel laugh filled the garage and Sabretooth and Mastermind stepped into view, each carrying huge guns.

"Crap!" Gambit hissed. He lightly charged a card and blew the nearest air vent, before crawling away, leaving Colossus alone. Not that he needed help. He was prepared for something like this. Which was why he had brought a small bucket of paint. He spilled it on the floor, as near to Sabretooth and Mastermind as possible. They jumped back, swearing as Colossus slipped into the van and zoomed out.

* * *

Anima knew they were in the game before they came after her. She had heard the exchange of paintballs and the van driving off. It was relatively simple to barricade herself in the bathroom. The medicine cabinets were shoved against the door as Anima hid in the higher cabinet and waited. She didn't have to wait long. With a roar, Sabretooth smashed against the door. Then again, and again. Soon, the door splintered inward and the drawers were flung against the far wall. The duo stepped in sinisterly. Sabretooth carried a paintball SMG with a bazooka strapped to his back. Mastermind was a bit more conservative with two handguns in his…well, hands, and a third on his hip. Sabretooth inhaled deeply.

"She's near," he said.

"She's here!" Anima shot back, bursting out of the cabinet. They both let out surprised shouts, letting loose a few rounds. Anima fired a few times before jumping down a laundry chute.

* * *

Gambit crawled the vents carefully, making as little noise as possible. He heard the exchange in the bathroom, before continuing to his bedroom. He had a couple more guns there. Leaping out into his room, he went right to his drawer. There, he beheld his beauty: a sniper rifle. He grinned evilly. This game just got a lot more interesting.

* * *

Anima crept from the laundry room next door to Piotr's studio. Letting herself in, she gazed around at the buckets of paint. She selected two for her plan and disappeared.

* * *

Colossus, meanwhile, was returning from buying a paintball gun. It was a gun that he could mount on the van and fire from inside. Very fancy and stuff. He sped up the car. Best to return before they noticed he was gone.

* * *

Anima lifted the bucket of paint up to the vent, tipping it over so that the paint rushed out through the ventilation system. She repeated the process with the other bucket. Dropping it with a clang, she dashed out the door to execute the second part of her plan.

* * *

As Gambit made his way over the bathroom, he could hear a distant rushing sound. His eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder and saw a flood of paint coming at him. He army-crawled as fast as possible, before dropping a card behind him. The card blew through the vent, draining most of the paint, but not all of it. In desperation, he charged the vent beneath him as lightly as possible, before dropping through it. He landed in a crouch in the hallway. About ten feet away from Sabretooth and Mastermind. He slowly drew his gun, but they turned as well. Before anyone could react, the light fixture shattered and a water balloon filled with paint landed between Sabretooth and Mastermind, splattering them with paint.

"No fair!" Sabretooth shouted. He dropped his gun and stamped his foot. "I QUIT CHEATER!" Anima jumped from the hole in the ceiling, scooping up the bazooka that Sabretooth had. Gambit had started running before she could raise it. He barely jumped out the door before it was splattered with paint.

* * *

As Colossus began to near the house, he was unaware of the attack planned for him. he pulled to a stop. As his hand hovered near the latch on the door, a paint rocket exploded on the hood with a FOOOOOOOOOM! Colossus jerked back and began to fire his own gun, but it had been knocked loose by the explosion.

"Very well," Colossus said solemnly. He armored up, then began backing the car out of the driveway. With a rev, he flew through the garage door and was thrown from his car. He managed to fire a few rounds before crashing into the wall. Quickly and mercilessly, an SMG from behind covering him with paint.

"And then there were two," Anima said emotionlessly, jumping from her perch above the garage door.

* * *

Remy was in the training room. Normally he avoided it like the plague, but he was desperate. Hiding behind some exercise machines, he readied himself (and his gun) for the imminent showdown. Sure enough, the door was kicked in as Anima heralded her arrival with a burst of fire from the SMG. He returned with a shot that she dodged. Barely. In fact, she would have been hit right between the eyes. Dropping the heavy gun, she drew two handguns before jumping on a punching bag, scrambling to the top and pulling herself onto the rafters. Gambit fired a deadly salvo, but each time she dodged. Finally, he drew his handgun. She disappeared somewhere up high. Gambit whirled around as all the locker doors flew open. He turned again as the pedals of the exercise bikes spun crazily. He turned again…and came face to face with a gun.

"Not a word," Anima said.

"Now cher—" BANG! The other gun shot him in the chest.

"I said not a word," she growled. Suddenly, the doors flew open. A metal bucket of paint flew in and splattered the pair.

"I cannot believe," Magneto said. "That you imbeciles would play paintball IN THE BASE…without telling me! You are ALL cleaning the base this afternoon. And you have to fix ANYTHING that you broke. Excuse me, I have a paintball tournament to get to."

* * *

That was strange and random. But kinda fun to write.

-Janglin' Bacon


	12. Chapter 12: Hostile Takeover

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

I'm sad. The climax. The beginning of the end.

BTW: I use their names on day-to-day, codenames in combat situations. Except for Sabretooth and Magneto.

* * *

Chapter 12: Hostile Takeover

* * *

Magneto woke to pounding on his door. He flung it open, but as soon as he did, someone pushed him in and slammed it shut.

"What is it?" he asked Anima irritably. She was wearing her uniform and looked like she had just come from a fight.

"Something's happened," she managed to gasp. "Gambit just tried to blow me up after I got woken up by Pyro burning down my room."

"So…someone's controlling them?" Magneto asked.

"Maybe," she replied. "I don't know!"

"Stay calm," he told her. Suddenly, the door blew in. Gambit stood in the doorway, a black silhouette with cruel, glowing, red on black eyes. He let loose a flurry of cards in their direction. Anima barely managed to move before she was yanked back by her metal arm guards. Magneto's helmet wrapped itself around his head.

"Move," he said. Anima thrust out her hands as another handful of cards flew towards them. They turned into planes and dive-bombed their owner. Gambit was thrown back down the hallway.

"Good work," Magneto told her. "We'll have to split up. Find Pyro. Go!" Anima jumped into the newly fixed vents and crawled away.

* * *

A roar echoed through the base.

"Sabretooth," Magneto stated calmly. A second later, the wall next to him collapsed as the feral mutant lunged. Magneto raised his hands and threw him back through the wall. Again, Sabretooth rose and jumped through the wall.

"I'm glad you can survive this, Victor," Magneto told him as a piece of metal formed into a blade and drove itself deep into Sabretooth's head. "You're such a valuable part of my plan." Sabretooth collapsed to the ground, until the wound began to heal.

"Magneto?" Sabretooth grunted.

"So it must have been telepathic in nature," Magneto thought. "Come, Sabretooth. We have an old enemy to fight."

* * *

Anima was halfway through the vents when they began rattling. She slowed to a stop and turned her head in the direction of the sound. With a rumble, a wall of flame moved towards her, warping the vents with the heat and stifling the air. Using her powers, she opened up the floor and tumbled down as the flames roared over her head. Rising gingerly, Anima checked her surroundings. Gambit's room. Perfect. She grabbed everything she need from the drawers and snuck off to find Pyro.

She found him near the Rec Room, patrolling the hallways. With a cough of his flamethrower, he attacked her with a burst of fire. She rolled away and took out Gambit's extinguisher, dousing him. Then, she grabbed Gambit's handcuffs and fastened him to the door before severing his flamethrower and removing his lighters. She stuffed them in a kitchen drawer and continued her search through the house.

* * *

Magneto and Sabretooth were almost to the hangar when Colossus attacked. It was a well-planned attack. He didn't activate his powers until the last moment and had disguised his smell as well as turned on loud music all around them. Suddenly, he tackled Sabretooth from behind before snapping his neck. His armor disappeared and he grabbed Magneto before throwing him into a wall. Then, while the Master of Magnetism was stunned, he armored up again landed a punch on his armor before dearmoring. There was one thing 'Colossus' didn't remember—Magneto could use metal from his environment as well as on his enemy. Strips of metal fastened itself around Colossus' neck, torso, wrists and ankles, pinning him to the wall. With a wave of his hand, the strips were magnetized, effectively holding him there.

"Whoever you are," Magneto said, addressing the person controlling Colossus. "You are going to lose."

* * *

Anima was surprised to run into Gambit again. Apparently, the first time hadn't been enough to teach him a lesson. She raised her fists, showing off the purple energy that hailed the use of her powers. He extended his Bo staff silently, charging it up with magenta energy before attacking. Anima leapt back as ground before her was pulverized by the supercharged staff. He swung again, this time horizontally, denting the walls of the narrow hallway. Anima had one major advantage: there was not enough space for him to use his staff effectively. She used her powers to make his staff swing up and hit the ceiling before sliding between his legs and jumping up behind him. His staff was too large to turn quickly, so Gambit retracted it and used it like a billy-club instead. To take care of that, Anima focused her power on his boots, which rooted themselves to the ground. Now he couldn't move and she couldn't use her powers. She reached to her throat and pressed the power amplifier. Now it was more even. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of rope that she had pilfered from his bedroom. She threw it at him and let it wrap around him circles like a snake before tying itself in a knot. Aware that he could escape, she opened a hole in the floor beneath him and let him drop.

* * *

Suddenly, Sabretooth stiffened.

"Sabretooth?" Magneto asked. Without a reply, the feral mutant knocked off Magneto's helmet.

"No!" Magneto gasped, then collapsed.

* * *

Rounding a corner, Anima came face to face with a mutant. He was bald with strange tattoos, making him look like Aang from _The Last Airbender_. He raised his hands as if to cast a spell, but Anima was faster. She grabbed him by the robes before shoving him back, then tried to use her powers on him but they didn't work.

"No ordinary mutant can affect me!" the mutant said.

"I'm no ordinary mutant!" Anima retorted. The other mutant simply grinned, standing up.

"Your powers are too weak to affect me," he told her. Anima smirked, before drawing Gambit's staff.

"This is the ugly stick. I think you'd recognized it from the last time you were hit," she told him before twirling it around and holding it between them. He simply lunged at her. Dropping the staff, Anima dodged to the side and let the mutant fly past her.

"Who are you?" he hissed. She kicked him in the face and he crumpled.

"I'm an Acolyte."

* * *

The victorious Acolytes stood in a circle around the fallen Mesmero.

"So…what should we do with him?" Ariel asked.

"Hm…" John pondered this. "We could set him on fire!"

"Or blow him up!" Remy grinned.

"Or pound him to dust!" Piotr growled.

"Or shred him to bits!" Sabretooth snarled.

"Or boil him in cheese!" Jason chimed (who had mysteriously reappeared after the fighting was over).

"Or inject him with iron!" Magneto sneered. "And then remove it all at once!"

The whole group of Acolytes clamored to be heard over each other.

"OR!" Ariel said. "We could do this…"

* * *

"Ugh…" Mesmero came to in a dimly lit room. He let out a scream of surprise to see a haggard, old face right next to him.

"Hello, handsome!" Abby crooned.

"NOOOOOO!" Mesmero screamed. "Apocalypse! Apocalypse! Apoca—ulp!"

* * *

I'm sorry. I am sooo sorry XD

-Jangling Bacon


	13. Chapter 13: The End of the Beginning

Disclaimer: "Liking is probably the best form of ownership, and ownership the worst form of liking."

― José Saramago

Summary: The Acolytes have a new recruit: Anima. Only there's a problem: One teenage girl doesn't go with half a dozen male super villains. Can she adjust to the crazy life of the Acolytes? Chaos, fighting and more! Sorta parallel to my other story, "Time Bomb."

THE FINAL CHAPTER! WAHHHHH! MAYBE SEQUEL! WOOHOO!

* * *

Chapter 13: The End of the Beginning

* * *

John slurped out of his shake as he watched the fly circling the table. As it got close…FOOOOOOM! A blast of fire charred its remains to the tabletop. Ariel absent mindedly stirred her smoothie. Remy was trying his best to scrape the bottom of the cup while looking cool. Piotr was munching down an ice cream cone. Suddenly, a crowd of screaming people ran past outside.

"What's that?" Remy asked, looking up. Ariel jerked up in shock and John pressed his nose to the glass. As the crowd disappeared around the next corner, there was a roar and a huge, ten foot tall, black-furred creature bounded up the street. It sniffed the air and looked straightened at the Acolytes assembled at the window of the ice cream shop.

"Come on, mate, come get us," John grinned.

* * *

To not be continued…

LOL, IDK why I did that. I couldn't think of anything to put at the end.

Shout out to Five Phoenix for most reviews.

I'll probably miss you guys. On the VERY bright side, I have my choice of two stories to begin. They've both been pestering me for forever.


	14. Note to YOU

It has come to my attention that some people are forgetting Abby. If you are having a hard time remembering, re-read Chapter 5 (is it too presumptuous to believe that you have already read that?) and then you should get it. For you lazies, Abby is the weird mutant-ish lady who messed with Remy and left him scared mentally.


	15. Animation: Le Sequel

To all mon chers lecteurs, I have begun writing the sequel. It is called: "Animation: The Sequel" (very creative) and will be out any day. Like, today or tomorrow maybe. Thanks!

-Jangling Bacon


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